Summer reading program goes beyond books

Every year, the Salt Lake County Library Services offers a
summer reading program to people of all ages. This year, the theme is taking
participants beyond just books. The annual program draws thousands of participants, though
few completers. The theme this year is “Build a Better World,” an idea that
encourages individuals to find ways to make the world a better place.“They can build a better mind through reading, building a
better community through volunteering or participating in community events,
becoming involved in political activities, just doing what they can to build a
better world,” said Liz Sollis, the marketing and communications manager at
Salt Lake County Library Services.The program focuses on five theme words: read, learn,
create, play and connect. Participants take a reading log and complete
activities associated with the words. For instance, for “read,” participants
can read or listen to a book, read with someone, read a newspaper or magazine,
read an online article or e-book or read a poem or picture book. For “connect,”
participants can visit a library, attend a concert, make a new friend, explore
a new place or volunteer in the community.Sollis said the idea of the five theme words is to expand
the program beyond just reading.“We want to remind everybody that the county libraries are a
place where we can allow that to happen,”Sollis said. “Reading is something
that we offer. But we offer programs and resources that allow opportunities for
people to learn. We also promote play. Play is an important part of learning.
We have programs that involve play.”When a participant completes one of the tasks, they fill in
a letter of the word on the program record. Once all of the words are filled
in, participants can take the record to any Salt Lake County Library and enter
into a drawing. They also get a prize and a ticket to the Natural History
Museum of Utah for their library days in August, including an adult-only night.“We did an adult-only night and they really liked it. We
have a lot of adults who participate in the program,” Sollis said. “The Natural
History Museum has been a great partner. What we love about that is it’s a
place where kids can go to learn and they can learn a variety of things about
their world.”If participants finish their record and still want to keep
reading, the library offers a skyscraper record.“They can get another reading record and they can continue
to read and complete it,” Sollis said. “Once they finish their skyscraper
record, they get another entering into a drawing.”The program runs from June 1 to July 31. It was kicked off
with a special event on June 2 at Veteran’s Memorial Park, which is adjacent to
the West Jordan Library and the Viridian Event Center.“We have booths from different community partners, as well
as West Jordan has booths. We have entertainers throughout the night and we
have crafts,” Sollis said. “This year, West Jordan is hosting a screening of
‘Moana’ at 8:45 in the park. We also have food trucks.”